Monday, November 9, 2009

The Buckaroo's Big Adventure

The Buckaroo's have been planning a big adventure, also known as running away, for a few weeks now. They assured me they still loved me but needed to go out and be boys, spend the night under the stars, fending for themselves. They spent hours making plans and packing.

They occasionally came and asked me for things like sunscreen and band aids for their first aid kit. Thankfully, I would not have to worry about sunburned, bloody boys. As the sons of a park ranger they are always prepared in the wild.

Off they went. It was a bit of a sad goodbye, I thought it was because they were leaving me but in actuality it was probably the weight of all their gear. They take after me when packing for a trip, really, you need 4 pairs of shoes for an overnight trip.

I looked out the window to see their progress and it looked like they were resting.

No, this is where the set up camp, they got past the rabbit's cage and barn, but not all the way to the chicken coop. They spent hours out there.

I finally went ALL the way out to their runaway spot to check on them and the first thing they said was, "mom, did you bring us some food?" I told them they had to find their own food out here in the wild. Little Buckaroo said he could find some and then proceeded to the chicken coop to get some eggs that he asked me to go cook for him.

I am so glad our boys look for a battle to fight and an adventure to live around every corner.

Look at the heroes of the Bible: Moses did not encounter the living God in a cubicle. He finds Him (or is found by Him) in the deserts of Sinai, a long way from the comforts of Egypt. Where did the great prophet Elijah go to recover his strength? To the wild. And, what about Jacob, who has his wrestling match with God. It was not on the recliner in the living room in front of the television, but in a wadi somewhere east of the Jabbok, in Mesopotamia. And what about John the Baptist who went to the wild and of course, Jesus, who is led by the spirit into the wilderness.

I support their desire to be wild and adventurous, I love that they want to take that journey. I guess I better teach them how to cook first though because I do not have that need for adventure at my age. I just want a comfy couch, a good book and a Dr. Pepper.

I ran away once. It lasted for about two hours. I hid in the workshop in our back yard. My brother got scared at some point and called my mom at work. She panicked and had to come home from work. I finally gave up and came back into the house at the exact moment she was picking up the phone to call the police and report me missing . . . .